Buckle.



F. A. McGEE.

BUCKLEr APPLICATION FILED MAY 5. l9l6.

Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

FFIG.

FRANK A. MoGEE, or. R IDenRo 'r, CONNECTICUT, Assreno To 'll-IE VTARNER;

BROTHERS coM ANY, QFBRIDG QRT, OONNECTIGUT, A CORPORATION; OF

CONNECTICUT.

BUCKLE.

Specification of Letters Eatent.

Fatented Nov. 6, 191 7.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, FRANK A. MCGEE, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of the city of Bridgeport, county of Fair-field,and State of Connecticut, have inventeda certain new and usefullmprovement in Buckles, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in buckles and has particularapplication to a means for clamping the buckle to thetape or webbing.The object of theinvention is to provide a superior andeifeetive meansof clamping as described, with the particular advantages that thegripping or clamping member of the buckle extends from one side of thewebbing to the other without injury thereto and without making any marksupon the webbing.

In the following I have described, in con nection with the accompanyingdrawing, a means for carrying out my invention, the features thereofbeing more particularly pointed out hereinafter in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a rear eleva tion of the buckle detachedfrom the web bing with the lever in closed position;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same, strung with thewebbing;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the same, strung with webbing as in Fig. 2, andshowing, in dotted lines, the lever opened;

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the buckle detached from the webbing,parts being broken away to show a modification of construction; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the form of device shown in Fig.4.

Similar numerals of reference indicate similar parts throughout theseveral views.

The loop is shown as constructed in the usual way and having an upperbar 1, a lower bar 2, side bars 8, 3 and a projecting finger piece 4:,preferably integral with lower bar 2 and lying in a plane at an angle tothe plane of the loop.

The lever is shown as comprising a front plate 5, a back plate 6,extending at an acute angle to the front plate, and a portion bent at 7from the back plate toward the front plate, and then upward as at 8. InFigs. 1 to 3 inclusive, the back plate is shown as again bent or rolledrearwardly toward itself, as at 9, the substantially plane surface of 9forming a bearing for the upper bar 1 ofthe loop, said'upper bar beingconfined between the portion 10 of the lever and said rearward of a lineconnecting the centers of the upper and lower bars. This assures againstaccidental unclamping and assists in holding the parts firmly in clampedposition. The webbing 12 may be slitted centrally to receive the fingerpiece 4, adapted to project through the slit, and thus hold or assist inholding, the fixed end of the webbing, from displacement.

In Figs. 4 and 5 instead of rolling the portion 8 back against the backplate 6 of the lever, as'shown at 9 in Fig. 2, the portion 8 is extendedupwardly substantially parallel to the back plate 6 until it contactswith the rear face of the front plate, sulficient space being leftbetween the bottom of the portion 8 of the lever and the upper bar 1 ofthe loop for the reception of a wire 14, which, like the portion 9 inFig. 2, serves as a bearing for said upper bar 1 as shown. In thislatter case also the bent over portions of the back plate form anelongated cam surface for clamping the running length of the webbing asdescribed.

In both forms the webbing is strung, preferably, by passing the slittedend of the webbing from rear to front over the lower bar of the loop andcausing the finger piece projection l to enter the slit. The runninglength is then passed from front to rear over the fixed end and betweenthe fixed end and the cam or clamp. By this means the buckle is strungrustless, and, when under tension, presents a substantially smooth backsurface to the person of the wearer.

The buckle as described is easy to make, economical of material andeflicient in action, while no injury or wear of the webbing is sufleredby the action of the, clamp against it. v

I do not restrict myself to the details as shown and described furtherthan the scope of the appended claims demands.

I claim.

1. In a buckle, a loop member having an upper bar and a lower bar, and alever member rotatably mounted on said upper bar, said lever membercomprising a front plate, and a back plate standing off from the frontplate at an acute angle and receiving the upper bar of the loop in theangle and having its lower portion returned at an angle toward the frontplate and then bent upwardly in a plane substantially parallel with theback plate and adapted to form an elongated bearing for the lower faceof the upper bar.

In a buckle, a loop member having an upper bar and a lower bar, and alever meniher rotatably mounted on said upper bar, aid lever membercomprising a front plate, a back plate standing off from the front plateat an acute angle and receiving the upper bar of the loop in the angle,and aportion bent toward the front plate from the back plate thenceupwardly and thence returned against the back plate, the upper face ofthe backwardly bent portion of the lever member being adapted to form anelongated bearing for the lower face of the upper bar and confine thesaid bar between itself and the angle.

3. In a buckle, a loop member having an upper bar and a lower bar, and alever member rotatably mounted on said upper bar, the lever membercomprising a front plate, a back plate bent at an angle to the frontplate and a portion bent toward the front plate from the back plate, theinner bearing edge of the bent over portion of the back plate lyingrearwardly of the plane through the centers of the upper and lower barswhen the buckle is closed.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

FRANK A.-. McGEE. Witnesses J. C. STERLING, WILLIAM l/VEBB.

Copies of this patent may be obtained fer five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

